Engineering Commons^™

A Computational Approach To Graduated Centrifuge Profiles For Partial Gravity Planetary Environments, Cabell W. Jones

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Missions such as NASA’s Artemis and SpaceX’s Starship aspire towards creating permanent settlements beyond Earth. In order to achieve this goal, it must be considered that the gravity present on planetary surfaces such as the Moon (0.165 g) and Mars (0.378 g) may be insufficient to support human physiology for long term habitation. On near-Earth missions, issues such as muscular atrophy, neuro-ocular changes, cardiopulmonary variations, and bone mineral density loss have been observed proportional to the duration spent in microgravity. Further studies have suggested that the severity of these conditions scales linearly with decreasing gravity, meaning that astronaut health can …

Stiffening Of Soft Silicone Upon Deep Uv Treatment As Characterized Using Nanoindentation, Amanda Wilder, Zaria Booth, Caden Obermeyer, Saika Sharmin, Venkat Maruthamuthu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Silicones are elastomers that have a wide variety of uses, including biomedical applications such as the coating of biomedical devices and as implants. Soft silicones with mechanical properties similar to those of biological tissues have particularly gained use as substrates for cell culture in mechanobiology studies. In this context, it would be desirable to be able to alter their surface mechanical properties with a relatively simple physical treatment. While deep ultraviolet (deep UV) or ultraviolet C (UV-C) treatment has been previously used as a surface treatment method for stiffer silicones formulations, the effect of this treatment on soft silicones relevant …

A Combined Stochastic And Physical Framework For Alloys And Metal Casting Processes Modeling, Simon N. Lekakh, Oleg Neroslavsky

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High temperature metal casting processes have dualistic nature and conceptually consist of two parts of distinct processes: the first type is deterministic, strictly obeying the physical law, while the second type is stochastic. Therefore, the metal casting processes are not precisely predictable, and deterministic considerations cannot provide exact outcomes. To solve this problem, the combined stochastic and deterministic framework was suggested. The local processes were described using deterministic models for several parameter arrangements, while the distribution of these arrangements on macro level was calculated using stochastic approaches. The approach was used for cast alloy design, investment casting process optimization, and …

Thermal Transformations And Mechanical Properties Of All-D-Metal Mn2fecu Heusler-Type Shape Memory Alloy, Choji J. Daches, Joseph W. Newkirk, Mario Buchely

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

All-d-metal Heusler alloys are emerging functional materials in which magnetic ordering, lattice distortion, and mechanical behavior are strongly coupled through d–d electronic interactions. This study systematically investigates the structural, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties of Mn₂FeCu synthesized within a Heusler-type compositional framework. SEM/EDS revealed a dual-phase FCC-based microstructure consisting of Mn–Fe–rich and Mn–Cu–rich domains, while XRD confirmed FCC symmetry with compositional partitioning rather than full L2₁ ordering. Differential scanning calorimetry identified partial melting of the Cu-rich phase near ~ 900 °C. Dilatometry showed a thermoelastic FCC → FCT transformation at ~ 770–780 °C with a recoverable strain of ~ 0.067%. …

Overcoming Resolution Vs. Throughput Trade-Offs In Ceramic Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Via Viscoelastic Filament Stretching, Abid H. Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming C. Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabricating large, monolithic ceramic parts using material-extrusion additive manufacturing remains challenging due to difficulty maintaining uniform moisture content during printing, which can lead to drying-induced defects such as warping and cracking, especially as part size and print time increase. Fabricated parts have trade-offs among print resolution, high throughput, and structural fidelity. Our study has shown that increasing the ratio of nozzle traverse speed vs. material extrusion speed increases filament stretching in viscoelastic ceramic paste, helping to overcome the trade-offs between resolution and throughput. Using aqueous ZrB2–SiC (70/30 vol.%) as a representative ultra-high temperature ceramic paste, rheological characterisation revealed viscoelastic yield-stress …

Enhancing The Performance Of Disk-Based Key-Value Stores: From Learned Index Acceleration To I/O-Efficient Hybrid Caching, Sujit Maharjan

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The exponential growth of data in modern computing environments has rendered the efficient extraction of information from massive datasets a critical systemic requirement. Key-value (KV) storage systems serve as the backbone for these operations; however, their performance is consistently bottlenecked by two primary functional requirements: identifying the data's location and managing the physical cost of accessing the storage device. Data locations are typically identified via an index, while disk I/O is minimized through caching. This dissertation presents LearnedStore, TurboIndex, and ReadBooster, which break these performance bottlenecks by introducing architectural modifications to the index and cache. LearnedStore accelerates operations by adapting …

Adaptive Synchronization In Digital Twin–Enabled Iot Systems: A Unified Framework For Energy, Fidelity, And Latency Trade-Offs, Uzma Zehra

Computer Science and Engineering Theses

Digital twin technology has emerged as a foundational paradigm for enabling real-time monitoring, analysis, and control in Internet of Things (IoT) systems by maintaining virtual representations of physical processes. Its effectiveness, however, critically depends on timely and accurate synchronization between distributed sensing devices and their corresponding digital counterparts. Frequent synchronization improves reconstruction fidelity and system responsiveness but incurs significant communication energy consumption and network latency. In contrast, infrequent synchronization conserves communication resources but can lead to stale or inaccurate digital twin states, particularly in environments with rapidly changing dynamics. These opposing effects give rise to a fundamental trade-off among energy …

Performance Evaluation Of Modified Moisture Barrier For Subgrade Stabilization Of Pavements On Expansive Soils, Md Tamim Shahriar

Civil Engineering Theses

Expansive soils inflict an estimated nine to fifteen billion dollars in annual damage to infrastructure across the United States, surpassing the combined losses from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes (Nelson and Miller, 1997; Jones and Jefferson, 2012). In Texas, eighteen of twenty-five TxDOT districts contend with pavement failure rooted in moisture-driven volume change of subgrade clay, consuming roughly twenty-five percent of the agency's annual budget for maintenance and repair (Sebesta, 2002; Wanyan et al., 2010). Conventional remediation approaches, including soil replacement, chemical stabilization with lime or cement, and prewetting, are either prohibitively expensive, unsuitable for high-sulfate soils, or confined to …

Generative Imaging For Computational Pathology, Md Jillur Rahman Saurav

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining remains central to cancer diagnosis, providing morphological information essential for pathological assessment. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and newer multiplexed imaging technologies complement H&E by revealing molecular information critical for accurate tumor subtyping and treatment decisions. In practice, however, H&E and IHC are obtained from different consecutive sections that are not spatially aligned, comprehensive multiplexed panels are expensive and tissue-consumptive, and not all stains are available at every clinical site, limiting comprehensive molecular profiling and the full diagnostic potential of these technologies in clinical practice. This dissertation addresses these gaps through three complementary generative deep learning studies in …

Co-Encapsulation Of Microalgae Haematococcus Pluvialis And Lactic Acid Bacteria Lacticaseibacillus Casei Via Filamentous Fungi Scaffolds Improved Probiotic Viability In Simulated Gastro-Intestinal Conditions, Suvro Talukdar, Tyler J. Barzee

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Fungal-assisted cell immobilization has emerged as a promising approach for food, energy and environmental applications, utilizing the hyphal network of filamentous fungi to encapsulate microorganisms. Co-encapsulation of multiple microorganisms within fungal pellets enables the development of food delivery systems that combine complementary functional and nutritional properties, including enhanced probiotic protection and delivery of bioactive compounds. This study used edible filamentous fungus Aspergillus awamori to encapsulate Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae and Lacticaseibacillus casei lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for probiotic delivery. Both active and heat-deactivated pellets successfully co-encapsulated microalgae and LAB, although low shear conditions were required for inactive fungal states. Under in-vitro …

Exploring Relational Farming Futures For Responsible Innovation In Precision Agriculture Through Q-Method And Speculative Design, Bhavna Joshi, Maaz Gardezi, Edward Prutzer, Awais Hameed Khan, Asim Zia, Benjamin E. K. Ryan, Ali Dadkhah, Donna M. Rizzo, John T. Mcmaine, David Clay

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This article draws on concepts of speculative design and responsible innovation to examine the possible impacts of data-driven precision agriculture on farmers and farm work. We use an innovative mixed-method approach to research design. Using artistic depiction of futures of precision agriculture in design workshop and in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with the farmers in Vermont and South Dakota, we explain how farmers perceive different futures of precision agriculture. Specifically, in our design workshop, we combined visual arts and social science methods, namely Q-method, to explore existing and new relationships between humans, technologies, and environment in the design, deployment, and use …

Charge‐Governed Mechanistic Evaluation Of Aav2 Clarification Via Functionalized Flat Sheet And Hollow Fiber Deconstructed Depth Filters, Mara Baughman‐Leach, Mattie Brock, Malgorzata Chwatko, Dibakar Bhattacharyya

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The expansion of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based therapeutics has increased the demand for efficient clarification. In this study, a functionalized deconstructed depth filtration platform was developed to dissect how membrane–virus charge, modulated by pH, influences separation. Three charge regimes, positive (pH 4), neutral (pH 6), and negative (pH 8) between the membranes and AAVs, were examined. The flat-sheet system, composed of sequential 1.2, 0.8, 0.45, and 0.1 µm membranes, enabled the first layer-by-layer analysis of depth filtration behavior. This revealed that Stage 1 and Stage 4 dominate clarification. Remarkably, substantial DNA capture (> 75%) was observed even in the largest-pore stage, …

Creep-Recovery Behavior Of Copper Springs At Low Stresses, Ming-Yen Tsai, Shou-Yi Chang, Yi-Chia Chou, Jyun-Lin Hu, Yulin Zhang, Fuqian Yang, Sanboh Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Copper springs, unlike conventional wires, endure complex stress states such as torsion and bending under sustained thermal and mechanical loads. This study examines the time-dependent creep-recovery behavior of copper springs under low tensile forces at temperatures ranging from 523 K to 623 K, focusing on springs with spring indexes (ratio of mean spring diameter to wire diameter) of 6.4, 8.5, and 9.6. The non-linear Burgers model with a Kelvin solid effectively captures the deformation response and mirrors dislocation nucleation and annihilation kinetics. SEM and TEM imaging reveal that low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) act as both dislocation sources and sinks. The …

Dino-Lg: Enhancing Vision Transformers With Label Guidance For Coronary Artery Calcium Detection, Mahmut Selman Gokmen, Caner Ozcan, Moneera N. Haque, Steve W. Leung, Seth Parker, Brent Seales, Cody Bumgardner

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Coronary artery disease (CAD), one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, necessitates effective risk assessment strategies, with coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring via computed tomography (CT) being a key method for prevention. Traditional methods, primarily based on UNET architectures implemented on pre-built models, face challenges like the scarcity of annotated CT scans containing CAC and imbalanced datasets, leading to reduced performance in segmentation and scoring tasks. In this study, we address these limitations by introducing DINO-LG, a novel label-guided extension of DINO (self-distillation with no labels) that incorporates targeted augmentation on annotated calcified regions during self-supervised pre-training. Our three-stage …

Validity And Reliability Of Force Insoles To Measure Center Of Pressure During Return-To-Sport Testing, Delaney Mcneese, Charles Eisner, Rachel Todd, Brian W. Noehren, Meredith K. Owen

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Center of pressure is a valuable biomechanical variable, predicting joint loading contributions during movement and giving insight into compensatory patterns. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of force insoles in calculating vertical ground reaction force and center of pressure during return-to-sport jump testing. Ten healthy individuals performed double- and single-leg vertical and horizontal jumps on an instrumented treadmill while wearing instrumented force insoles. Vertical ground reaction force and anterior–posterior and medial–lateral center of pressure were collected at peak vertical ground reaction force from both devices. Repeat testing occurred 7 ± 5 days following the …

Non-Contact Optical Spectroscopy For Metabolic And Vascular Characterizations Of Orthotopic Tongue Cancer Models In Vivo, Md Zahid Hasan, Jing Yan, Sumit Sarker, Pranto Soumik Saha, Caigang Zhu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Most tissue optical spectroscopy platforms use a fiber probe for light delivery and collection, while the inconsistent probe-sample contact could induce significant distortions in the measured optical signals, which consequently bring analysis errors. Moreover, it will be practically difficult to use a fiber probe for measurements in some cases such as oral cancer investigations using small animal models. To address the critical challenge, we report a portable, lens-based, optical spectroscopy device capable of quantifying key vascular and metabolic parameters in vivo without probe-sample contact. We combined lenses based diffuse reflectance and fluorescence spectroscopy into one portable platform to enable multi-parametric …

Combined Autofluorescence And Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy For Rapid Metabolic And Vascular Characterizations Of Orthotopic Tongue Tumors In Vivo, Pranto Soumik Saha, Jing Yan, Sumit Sarker, Zahid Hasan, Caigang Zhu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Precise label-free quantification of tissue metabolic and vascular dynamics in vivo represents a critical challenge for cancer therapy prediction and longitudinal treatment assessment. In this study, we demonstrated a portable autofluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy device along with novel spectroscopic algorithms to quantify tissue vascular and metabolic parameters of orthotopic head and neck cancer models in vivo. Tissue-mimicking phantom studies were used to verify the dual-modal optical spectroscopy and easy-to-use spectroscopic algorithms for rapid and accurate estimation of tissue oxygen saturation, total hemoglobin contents, and intrinsic optical redox ratio. Animal studies were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of our …

Noninvasive Diffuse Optical Monitoring Of Cerebral Blood Flow And Oxygenation Responses To Intermittent Hypoxia In Neonatal Rats, Pegah Safavi, Mehrana Mohtasebi, Chowdhury Azimul Haque, Faezeh Akbari, Xuhui Liu, Yiqi Yuan, Li Chen, Lei Chen, Guoqiang Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Significance: Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is common in preterm neonates and can cause hypoxic–ischemic brain injury. Simultaneous monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygenation is essential to detect oxygen delivery-extraction mismatches and guide intervention.

Aim: We aimed to adapt and test an innovative diffuse speckle contrast flow oximetry (DSCFO) system for continuous monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics during IH in neonatal rats, a model approximating human neonates.

Approach: Two compact laser diodes and a miniature CMOS camera were integrated into a fiber-free probe for continuous monitoring of changes in relative CBF (rCBF) and oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations (Δ[HbO₂] and …

Simulation And Characterization Of Fuel Cell System Incorporated Internet Of Things, Ahmad N. Alhjouj

Mechanical Engineering Theses

Small air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems are increasingly relevant for portable and distributed applications, yet practical modeling and monitoring methods remain limited: high-fidelity physics-based models are too costly for real-time use, while purely data-driven models discard physical interpretability. This thesis develops an experimentally grounded gray-box framework for the characterization, reduced-order modeling, and IoT-enabled monitoring of a small hydrogen PEMFC system. A low-order nonlinear state-space model couples an electrochemical voltage layer to a lumped thermal layer, with parameters identified in stages using self-adaptive differential evolution. Identifiability analysis shows that static loss parameters are well constrained, while dynamic parameters …

Computational Study Of Rotating Detonation Combustors, Aditya Balasubramaniam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) are pressure-gain combustion devices that sustain one or more continuously rotating detonation waves, offering potential thermodynamic and performance advantages over conventional deflagration-based systems. Their behavior depends strongly on combustor geometry and operating conditions. Understanding these effects is therefore essential for the design and optimization of practical RDCs. Accordingly, this thesis numerically investigates annular RDCs with two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the effects of propellant mass flux and (2) to assess the influence of annular width on detonation-wave dynamics and combustor performance.

A finite-volume framework is used to solve the compressible reactive Euler equations with hydrogen–air …

Scalable Quantum Network Routing Through Reinforcement Learning And Resource Optimization, Tasdiqul Islam

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

Long-distance quantum communication depends on distributing high-delity entanglement across quantum repeaters. Entangled states are fragile: they decohere in memory, are consumed when used, and lose delity after each swap. Quantum routing therefore diers from classical routing: an algorithm must decide not only the path, but when to generate, store, swap, and consume entanglement before they lose their usefulness. This dissertation studies scalable resource allocation and routing for quantum networks under delity, memory, and concurrency constraints. It rst addresses re- peater deployment with heuristics that nd near-optimal locations while cutting com- putation from days to seconds versus integer linear programming (ILP). …

Early Detection And Objective Assessment Of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Severity, Soheila Norasteh

Bioengineering Dissertations

Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a neonatal brain injury caused by reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain around the time of birth. It remains a major cause of neonatal mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment worldwide. Therapeutic hypothermia is the standard treatment for moderate-to severe HIE and improves outcomes when initiated within the first six hours of life. Therefore, accurate assessment of injury severity during this period is essential. Cur rently, HIE severity is determined primarily through neurological examination and classified as mild, moderate, or severe. However, these examinations are subjective, cannot provide continuous monitoring of brain function, and may …

Age-Related Hearing Loss Involves Mitochondrial Dna Instability And Copy Number Depletion In The Cochlea: Insights From In Vivo And In Vitro Models, Akil Turner, Bo Ding, Xiaoxia Zhu, Tam Nguyen, Parveen Bazard, Robert D. Frisina

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a highly prevalent sensory neurodegenerative disorder that involves various molecular mechanisms. The present study investigated if age-related oxidative stress (OS) induces alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and heteroplasmy, using complementary in vivo and in vitro models. Aged (30-month) CBA/CaJ mice have elevated auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds amplitudes vs. young (3-month) CBA/CaJ mice, a key physiological characteristic of ARHL The in vitro experiments employed the strial SV-K1 cochlear cell line treated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Both the aged cochleae and H₂O₂-treated cells exhibited a significant …

Orchestrating Bone Healing: Biomaterial-Driven Immunoengineering Of The Bone Microenvironment For Advanced Regenerative Therapies, Ah Joung Rachel Yu, Mohammad Reza Zare, Edikan Ogunnaike, Mostafa Yazdi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bone regeneration is a multistage and tightly regulated process driven by coordinated interactions between the immune and skeletal systems. While inflammation is essential for initiating repair, its dysregulation contributes to delayed union, nonunion, and impaired healing commonly seen in trauma, chronic disease, and aging. Traditional interventions, including autografts and inert biomaterials, provide structural support but fail to engage or modulate the immune microenvironment that governs successful regeneration. Emerging research in osteoimmunology has revealed the centrality of immune cell populations such as macrophages, T regulatory cells, dendritic cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in directing osteogenesis, angiogenesis, and the resolution of inflammation. …

Electron Beam Irradiation Effects On Bulk Metals: A Comparative Study Of Polycrystalline Versus Single-Crystalline Structures, A. A. Elmustafa, N. A. Sultana, A. H. Al-Allaq, M. Ojha, Y. S. Mohammed, J. Vennekate, H. Baumgart

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effects of electron beam (e-beam) irradiation on the mechanical and structural properties of eight bulk metallic samples, comprising both polycrystalline (PC) and single-crystalline (SC) forms of Ni, Cr, V, and Ti. These metals were evaluated as potential candidates for beam exit windows in high-power (MW-class) particle accelerators. The primary objective is to identify metals capable of withstanding the conditions of high-power/MW-class e-beam accelerators and serve effectively as exit windows. Selection criteria were based on each metal’s intrinsic properties, power dissipation capability, and irradiation-induced changes in mechanical behavior, including hardness, elastic modulus, and defect density. Comprehensive characterization …

From Comparison To Integration: Building Energy Simulation Tool Variability And The Case For Intelligent Retrofit Workflows, Amir Safari, Dalya Ismael, Mahsa Safari, James Freihaut

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

As the urgency to address climate change and modernize energy infrastructure grows, the building sector plays a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. This study evaluates five energy retrofit strategies for Building 101 at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia, comparing two real-world proposals from energy service companies with three simulation-based packages derived from Building Energy Simulation (BES) tools. The study examined whether advanced BES tools provide greater accuracy and decision-making value compared to simpler alternatives. Electricity savings ranged from 5 % to 40 %, gas savings from 29.7 % to 61 %, and annual cost reductions …

Adaptive Electric Vehicle Routing And Charging With Deep Reinforcement Learning, Mandana Farhang Ghahfarokhi, Hyoshin Park, Venktesh Pandey, Gyugeun Yoon

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

As electric vehicles (EVs) gain popularity, efficient routing and charging solutions remain challenging due to time-dependent travel variability, sparse charging infrastructure, and heterogeneous user preferences. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a decision-support system that integrates three complementary methods: Temporal Multimodal Multivariate Learning (TMML) for real-time characterization of travel time uncertainty, Time-Dependent Shortest Path (TDSP) for reliability-aware route choice, and Deep Q-Network (DQN) reinforcement learning for adaptive charging decisions in sparse infrastructure environments. TMML updates link-level travel time distributions in real-time through Bayesian inference with cluster-based propagation, reducing uncertainties across the network. TDSP leverages these updated distributions to estimate …

Sulfhydryl-Functionalized Diarylethenes: Synthesis, Photoswitching, And Fluorescent Properties, Pramod Aryal, Jonathan Bietsch, Gowri Sankar Grandhi, Josh Choi, Guijun Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Sulfhydryl group (SH) plays important roles in reactions with various functional groups, especially in biologically active systems. Photoswitchable diarylethene (DAE) derivatives have demonstrated applications in many research fields. Among the many classes of diarylethene derivatives, thiol derivatives have not been extensively explored. In this study, we systematically synthesized and characterized a series of bis-thiol functionalized dithienylethene derivatives. The thiol groups in this series are attached directly to the thiophene, or through a phenyl or methylene linker. Each series incorporated both dithienyl cyclopentene and hexafluorocyclopentene bridges and total six thiol substituted diarylethenes were synthesized. Among the six sulfhydryl DAE derivatives, four …

Multidentate Surfactant-Dependent Synthesis Of Giant Iridium Superstructures, Ramjee Balasubramanian, Maeren E. Hill

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Giant superstructures of iridium, comprised of smaller spherical and slightly larger anisotropic nanoparticles, were synthesized by reducing iridium chloride in the presence of resorcinarene, a class of tetrameric macrocyclic polyphenols, with sodium borohydride in ethanol in 30 min under mild conditions. These superstructures were characterized by a range of techniques including TEM, HRTEM, EDS and other spectroscopic methods. The impact of the macrocyclic surfactant, its features and reaction conditions in dictating the formation of giant iridium superstructures was evaluated. The packing density of nanoparticles in these giant iridium superstructures could be altered qualitatively by varying the duration of the reaction, …

A Four-Step Thermocatalytic Route For Converting Co2 Into High-Purity Oxalic Acid, Hao Feng, Muhammad Kashif Khan, Lei Li, Hongyan Ma, Xinhua Liang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research outlines a four-step methodology for transforming CO₂ into high-purity oxalic acid. CO2 was first sequestered as KHCO₃ through its reaction with aqueous KOH, followed by hydrogenation using a supported AgPd/CNT catalyst in a batch reactor at an initial H₂ pressure of 60 bar and a temperature of 150°C. The formate yield reached 91.8% at optimum conditions. Potassium formate in the solid state was thermally coupled in the presence of KOH at 400°C under N2 flow, yielding potassium oxalate of up to 76% yield. The final step was the selective precipitation of potassium oxalate with ferrous …